How teenagers used technology in 2024: the latest from Pew Research

Pew Research has a new report on how American teenagers use social media and related technologies.  I’ve long admired and drawn on their research.  Today I’ll share highlights and some reflections on this publication, especially aimed at educators.

Much of what follows will be unsurprising to people paying attention to the topic, but there are details media coverage tends to downplay.  And it’s useful data to consider instead of anecdotes.

tl;dr – overall use is up, led by video and image apps.

To begin with, teen social media habits fall into three groups.  At the top, far above the rest, stands YouTube, which is nearly universal.  Next are three platforms clustered together: Snapchat, Instagram, and, of course, TikTok.  Below them in use is another group including Facebook, Whatsapp, X/Twitter, Threads, and Reddit:

Note some of the long-term trends: the steady decline of Facebook and X, Instagram’s relative stability.  Note, too, how little used is Whatsapp, which is popular being the United States.  I’m curious about the slight downward trend for both YouTube and TikTok and wonder about the potential for a Whatapp takeoff, based on its rise over the past two years.

The preceding covers experience at a basic level. Next, Pew considered time on platforms, and the results follow a similar yet slightly different pattern.  YouTube leads again, followed by a mix of Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat.  Facebook trails:

Note the 12-16% who use the top platforms “almost constantly.”

The report then breaks usage down by demographics.  There are some slight yet clear differences between the genders in terms of TikTok and YouTube use (girls preferring the former, men the latter) when it comes to frequent visiting.  In contrast Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram enjoyed teen gender parity:

Similar gender differences appeared among those using the tech less intensively:

Instagram and TikTok are used more widely by teen girls than teen boys. For example, 66% of girls say they use TikTok, compared with 59% of boys. Instagram use follows a similar pattern (66% vs. 56%).

On the other hand, boys are more likely than girls to say they use YouTube (93% vs. 87%).

Breaking down the data by race and ethnicity yields some striking differences.  Hispanic and black teens are much more likely to frequently use TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram than whites (Asians don’t appear in the report, not do Native Americans or Pacific Islanders, curiously). Snapchat and Facebook use was more even:

General use showed similar racial patterns:

Among teens, a larger share of those who are Black (79%) or Hispanic (74%) than White (54%) say they use TikTok. Black and Hispanic teens also stand out compared with White teens in their use of Instagram and X.

When it comes to the messaging platform WhatsApp, Hispanic teens are more likely than Black or White teens to say they use it.

Sliced another way, the data shows interesting differences along class lines:

As was true in prior studies, Facebook remains more commonly used among teens in lower-income households. For example, 45% of teens in households earning less than $30,000 a year say they use Facebook. This drops to 35% among teens in households earning $30,000 to $74,999 a year and 29% among teens with household incomes of $75,000 or more.

Teens in lower-income households are more likely than those in the highest-income households to say they use TikTok (73% vs. 59%).

Stepping back from individual platforms, the report asked teens about how much time they spent online total.  To nobody’s surprise that amount has increased in recent years, with 46% stating they were online “almost constantly”:

What might we take away from this?

If you are seeking to reach American teens in general, Pew offers a useful map.  Obviously using social media as a whole is a good idea, given audience engagement. Segmentation might be worth addressing. For example, if a college or university is looking to engage with underrepresented minorities, TikTok and YouTube, then Instagram, might have advantages.  Targeting the economically marginal would benefit from using Facebook and TikTok.  Otherwise, X/Twitter, Reddit, and Threads look to be relatively marginal.

Obviously, some external factors can change these usage patterns in the new year.  The United States is ready to ban TikTok in about one month, unless someone local buys the thing.  There is also a global move to cut minors’ social media use, which would reduce impact (assuming it worked, which is by no means guaranteed).

One note to repeat: Whatsapp has global reach. US teens are starting to use it more.  Watch for it to grow over the next few years.

So how does this Pew report comport with what you’re seeing, dear readers?